The Kaizen Fitness Formula: How to Get Stronger Every Day Without Burning Out

Can you get results from making small actions every day with the kaizen fitness formula or is this a waste of time? Many people are tempted to push themselves hard, believing that bigger, faster effort leads to faster results. I am guilty of this myself. While this approach, often called ‘hustle culture’ can motivate you at first and help you get started, it comes with several downsides:

– Short term success with a high risk of burnout

– Higher chance of failure and unsustainable

– Success in one area at the expense of others

These pitfalls often leave people frustrated, burned out, or stuck in cycles of short-term progress.

Kaizen principle

The kaizen philosophy originated in Japan and means “continuous improvement”. Toyota famously adopted the Kaizen philosophy, inspiring other companies to follow and improve their results.

Kaizen focuses on gradual, sustainable progress through small, daily steps that compound over time. It is the concept of making tiny improvements over time and can be applied to both exercise and fitness. I call this the kaizen fitness formula, a way to to make small changes that compound over time.

Some examples could include:

– Adding one extra push-up,

– Walking a few extra minutes

– Adding 1-2kg to a compound exercise each week

– Slightly improving form on an exercise

– Making a minor improvement to your diet (e.g., adding greens to your diet or replacing soda with water)

Ken and Sandra: A Tale of Two Approaches

Both excited to start weight training, Ken and Sandra took very different approaches. Ken joined a gym and jumped straight into a six-day-a-week program, pushing hard with two-hour sessions each time.. Sandra had a basic gym set at home and, while equally motivated, she chose 3 to 4 key exercises, focused on her form, and did 30–45-minute sessions. On days she didn’t lift, she worked one small fitness habit like mobility or diet.

At first, Ken made faster progress than Sandra, but soon he felt burnt out. His workouts suffered, he got minor aches and pains, and after a few months, he quit. Sandra, on the other hand, stuck to her sustainable routine, made small tweaks when needed, and looked for tiny improvements each week. After six months, she was stronger than she had ever been.

Practical takeaway

Apply the kaizen fitness formula to your fitness goals. Choose one small, manageable action you can make every day towards your fitness and health goals. Maybe it’s adding one push-up, walking an extra five minutes, or refining your form. Focus on consistency and small wins, they compound into real, lasting progress.